The name of Charles Marsing’s cabin cruiser turned out to be an indicator of things to come.

His boat, “Serious Issues,” is currently breaking up on the northern edge of Penn Cove.

“It’s totaled,” Marsing said Monday morning. He claimed that someone set his boat adrift in early November from its mooring near the Penn Cove shellfish farm. The boat drifted across Penn Cove before Marsing’s son was able to get it tied to the dock near Rolling Hills.

Unfortunately, high winds eventually snapped the rope and the boat started drifting again. Something punched a hole in the boat’s hull and it ended up on the beach about 100 feet west of the dock.

When Marsing saw the damage, he tied up the boat to the shore where he said he removed several gallons of gasoline from Serious Issues.

Since the boat ended up on the beach, the damage has worsened. The starboard side of the vessel has basically been ripped away, the canvas is torn and debris is strewn along the shoreline.

Marsing, who is 62 and disabled, is at his wits end on how to remove the wreck. He is calling friends and waiting to hear if any can help him out. At this point, he would be willing to sign over the title to someone who’d be in a better position to salvage the boat.

One local resident did offer some assistance.

Bob Becker said he would lend Marsing his flotation bags that could free the boat from the shoreline. He used his equipment to help the Port of Coupeville in 2008 to help raise a sailboat that sunk near the Coupeville Wharf.

However, Marsing said that the bags won’t help because of the boat’s condition.

With the boat breaking up, he said he has to figure out a way to remove the debris, or the Sheriff’s Office says he will be fined for littering.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has a derelict vessel program that works to remove wrecked boats from the shore, but it can be costly to the boat owner.

Program Manager Melissa Ferris said when the derelict vessel program steps in, the boat is removed and then the owner is placed on a payment plan to cover the cost. The cost of the removal varies depending on the size of the vessel and its location, typically ranging from $1,000 to $15,000.

She said the best thing a boat owner can do is to make sure their vessel doesn’t get into such a situation. They should check their boat before any storm to make sure it’s anchored properly and the equipment, such as pumps, are in good working order.

Should a boat become stranded on the beach, then an owner should remove household items, paints and fuels to reduce his or her liability should the boat sink.

She added owners are often surprised at how fast a boat is torn apart when it ends up on the beach.

“It, unfortunately, happens quite frequently,” Ferris said.